If you’re a veteran filing a VA disability claim for a heart condition, you might have come across the term “METs Test.”
Understanding what this test is and how it impacts your VA disability rating is mission critical.
In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about the METs test for VA disability and how it determines your final VA rating.
Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
Summary of Key Points
- METs and VA Disability: The METs (Metabolic Equivalents) test measures the energy cost of physical activities and assesses cardiovascular health, helping the VA determine the severity of heart conditions.
- Types of METs Tests: The METs test can be conducted as an exercise-based test, where physical activity is monitored, or as an interview-based test, where daily activity levels are discussed.
- METs Levels and VA Ratings: METs levels range from 1-3 (severe limitations) to >7-10 (minimal limitations), directly influencing VA disability ratings from 10% to 100%.
- Importance of METs Testing: METs testing is crucial for determining VA disability ratings, providing objective measurements, guiding treatment plans, and monitoring disease progression.
What is the METs Test?
METs stands for Metabolic Equivalents.
The METs test is a way to measure the energy cost of physical activities and assess your cardiovascular health and functional capacity.
It’s used by the VA to determine the severity of your heart condition and its impact on your daily life.
How is the METs Test Conducted?
The METs test can be conducted in two ways:
1. Exercise-Based METs Test
Description: You will perform physical activities, usually on a treadmill or stationary bike, while your heart rate, blood pressure, and symptoms are monitored.
Goal: To measure the maximum level of physical activity you can sustain and identify the METs level at which symptoms like breathlessness, fatigue, or chest pain occur.
METs Levels: The test measures energy expenditure at different levels of activity, expressed in METs.
2. Interview-Based METs Test
Description: If an exercise test cannot be performed due to medical reasons, an interview-based METs test is conducted. You will answer questions about your ability to perform daily activities and the symptoms you experience.
Goal: To estimate the METs level based on your responses about your daily activity and symptom onset.
METs Levels: The METs level is estimated from the described activities and symptoms.
Understanding METs Levels in Veterans
The Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) for heart conditions lists METs levels to evaluate the veteran’s cardiovascular functional capacity.
These levels are used to determine the severity of a heart condition based on the activities a veteran can perform before experiencing symptoms like breathlessness, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope.
- 1-3 METs: Activities such as eating, dressing, taking a shower, and slow walking (2 mph) for 1-2 blocks. Indicates severe limitations; symptoms appear with very minimal exertion.
- >3-5 METs: Activities such as light yard work (weeding), mowing the lawn (power mower), and brisk walking (4 mph). Indicates moderate limitations; symptoms appear with light to moderate exertion.
- >5-7 METs: Activities such as walking 1 flight of stairs, golfing (without a cart), mowing the lawn (push mower), and heavy yard work (digging). Indicates mild limitations; symptoms appear with moderate exertion.
- >7-10 METs: Activities such as climbing stairs quickly, moderate bicycling, sawing wood, and jogging (6 mph). Indicates minimal limitations; symptoms appear with high exertion.
Matching METs Levels to VA Disability Ratings
VA ratings for heart conditions are directly impacted by your METs level:
- 100% Rating: Chronic congestive heart failure, a workload of 3 METs or less resulting in symptoms, or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 30%.
- 60% Rating: More than one episode of acute congestive heart failure in the past year, or workload greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs resulting in symptoms.
- 30% Rating: Workload greater than 5 METs but not greater than 7 METs resulting in symptoms.
- 10% Rating: Workload greater than 7 METs but not greater than 10 METs resulting in symptoms or requiring continuous medication.
How Your METs Level Determines Your VA Rating for Heart Conditions
1-3 METs Level
VA Disability Rating: 100%
This level indicates that symptoms appear with very minimal exertion, such as eating, dressing, taking a shower, or slow walking (2 mph) for 1-2 blocks. This rating is given for chronic congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 30%.
>3-5 METs Level
VA Disability Rating: 60%
This level indicates symptoms appear with light to moderate exertion, such as light yard work (weeding), mowing the lawn (power mower), or brisk walking (4 mph). This rating is also given for more than one episode of acute congestive heart failure in the past year.
>5-7 METs Level
VA Disability Rating: 30%
This level indicates symptoms appear with moderate exertion, such as walking 1 flight of stairs, golfing (without a cart), mowing the lawn (push mower), or heavy yard work (digging).
>7-10 METs
VA Disability Rating: 10%
This level indicates symptoms appear with high exertion, such as climbing stairs quickly, moderate bicycling, sawing wood, or jogging (6 mph). This rating is given for conditions that require continuous medication or result in symptoms with a workload greater than 7 METs but not greater than 10 METs.
Why is the METs Test Important for VA Disability?
The METs test is crucial for several reasons:
1. Determining VA Disability Ratings
The VA uses METs levels to determine the appropriate disability rating for your heart condition. The severity of your condition and its impact on your ability to perform daily activities are key factors in this assessment.
2. Providing Objective Measurements
METs testing provides an objective measure of your cardiovascular functional capacity, which is essential for accurately evaluating the impact of your heart condition.
3. Guiding Treatment Plans
The results of METs testing help healthcare providers understand the functional limitations caused by your heart condition and plan appropriate interventions to manage your symptoms.
4. Monitoring Disease Progression
Tracking changes in your METs level over time allows for the assessment of disease progression and the effectiveness of treatments, helping to make necessary adjustments.
Conclusion & Wrap-Up
The METs test is a vital component of evaluating heart conditions for VA disability claims.
It helps determine the severity of your condition and its impact on your daily life, guiding decisions on disability ratings and treatment plans.
By understanding the METs test and preparing adequately, you can ensure a thorough and accurate assessment of your heart condition.
About the Author
Brian Reese
Brian Reese is one of the top VA disability benefits experts in the world and bestselling author of You Deserve It: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Veteran Benefits You’ve Earned (Second Edition).
Brian’s frustration with the VA claim process led him to create VA Claims Insider, which provides disabled veterans with tips, strategies, and lessons learned to win their VA disability compensation claim, faster, even if they’ve already filed, been denied, gave up, or don’t know where to start.
As the founder of VA Claims Insider and CEO of Military Disability Made Easy, he has helped serve more than 10 million military members and veterans since 2013 through free online educational resources.
He is a former active duty Air Force officer with extensive experience leading hundreds of individuals and multi-functional teams in challenging international environments, including a combat tour to Afghanistan in 2011 supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
Brian is a Distinguished Graduate of Management from the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, and he holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, Stillwater, OK, where he was a National Honor Scholar (Top 1% of Graduate School class).
